Idioma Education & Consulting Proficiency Bootcamp: Beginning, Continuing, & Strengthening Your Proficiency-Based Practice at the 2025 Summer Institute in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

This June, world language educators from across Massachusetts gathered in Shrewsbury for an immersive week of professional learning during the 2025 Summer Institute: Idioma Education & Consulting Proficiency Bootcamp: Beginning, Continuing, & Strengthening Your Proficiency-Based Practice. The four-day institute hosted June 23–26 and lead by Shrewsbury’s Kenneth Almeida and Idioma’s Elisa Kirschhoffer brought together world languages teachers committed to deepening their understanding of proficiency-based instruction and refining their classroom practices in alignment with the 2024 ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Curriculum Framework.

A Week Rooted in Purpose

The bootcamp kicked off with three dynamic workshops led by Idioma Education & Consulting. Each session built on the previous one, creating a cohesive and meaningful progression toward strong, proficiency-focused instruction.

Day 1: Introduction to Curriculum Development and Assessment Strategies for Proficiency

Teachers began the week by grounding themselves in the core principles of performance and proficiency. By examining the three modes of communication—interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational—participants explored how to translate abstract proficiency goals into concrete instructional practices. The day also introduced practical tools, including proficiency rubrics, to provide targeted feedback and support student goal-setting.

Day 2: Supporting the Whole Student Through Integrated Performance Assessment

With a strong foundation in place, participants turned their focus to Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs). Educators explored task design and prompts that promote authentic language use and learner agency. This session empowered teachers to reimagine existing units or build new ones that prioritize student output and align with real-world communication. Proficiency rubrics were again a key focus, supporting educators in evaluating student progress with clarity and consistency.

Day 3: Making the Most of the 3 Modes: Interpretive, Presentational, and Interpersonal Strategies

The final half-day workshop was rich with acquisition-driven instructional strategies. Teachers practiced applying the PACE model to teach grammar in context, developed routines for maintaining 90% target language use, and engaged in designing tasks rooted in comprehensible input and authentic resources. The group also tackled the important distinction between errors and mistakes, discussing strategies for effective, student-centered correction.

Day 4: Workshop Day – From Theory to Practice

The institute concluded with a full day of collaborative coaching and project-based application. With the guidance of the Idioma facilitator, teachers worked one-on-one and in small groups to complete their culminating projects. These projects reflected the integration of the week’s learning into unit plans, assessments, and instructional strategies that are ready to use in their classrooms this fall.

Impact and Takeaways

The week’s structure—carefully designed to move from foundational understanding to implementation with lots of practical examples and opportunities to try new strategies in real time sprinkled in—allowed educators to reflect deeply on their current practices while gaining new tools, strategies, and confidence to elevate student learning. Teachers left the bootcamp feeling inspired and prepared to:

• Design and deliver proficiency-aligned instruction and assessment

• Use authentic resources and digital tools to support communication

• Center the student in learning through comprehensible input, real-world tasks, and meaningful feedback

• Maintain consistent target language use while supporting student success

The Shrewsbury Summer Institute like all workshops with Idioma was more than just professional development; it was a collaborative community of growth, energized by shared purpose and a commitment to delivering world language instruction that truly prepares students for real-life communication.

We celebrate the educators who participated and look forward to seeing the impact of their learning ripple out into classrooms across the region!

Interested in bringing Idioma in to transform your world language department and student experience? Click here to learn more and contact us.